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Roles of Collaborative Team Professionals

Collaborative Attorneys. In a Collaborative Law Process, each of you will have an attorney who pledges support for your desire to reach a resolution without intervention, or threat of intervention, by a court. The sole focus and goal of Collaborative Law attorneys is to help you reach a durable agreement.

As conflict resolution specialists, Collaborative lawyers jointly guide, manage, and facilitate the Collaborative Law process. Attorneys act as the legal counselors for their clients and also support clients to have a voice in the process.

All Collaborative attorneys who are members of King County Collaborative Law must meet specific basic and advanced training requirements.

Coaches. Collaborative Law coaches are licensed mental health professionals whose purpose and goal is to help the separating/divorcing couple develop the necessary strengths and skills to reach agreement within the Collaborative Law process. The Coach works in a highly coordinated way with other members of the Collaborative Law Team.

The Coach is not a marriage counselor. The purpose of the Coach is to provide a smooth and efficient Collaborative Divorce experience. Coaches help clients navigate the difficult emotional terrain of divorce, support communication skill-building for parenting, collaborating and problem-solving.  Coaches help clients clarify what’s most important through identification of underlying interests and needs as well as visioning a successful future.

All Collaborative coaches who are members of King County Collaborative Law must meet specific basic and advanced training requirements.

Financial Specialists. The financial specialist is a neutral financial analyst and consultant on the Collaborative Law team. The financial specialist facilitates the gathering and exchange of financial information so everyone is making decisions using the same understanding of the financial picture. Financial specialists help clients develop forward looking budgets so they can make informed settlement decisions and also provide information regarding the implications of various financial decisions.

All Collaborative financial specialists who are members of King County Collaborative Law must meet specific basic and advanced training requirements.

Child Specialists. Collaborative child specialists have a unique and important role in some Collaborative cases. The child specialist provides a “voice” for the children in the process by bringing helpful insights and valuable assessment information back to the parents to assist in decision-making regarding parenting choices. The child specialist works directly with the children to help identify concerns, problem-solve, and normalize some of the typical experiences of the changing family situation.

All Collaborative child specialists who are members of King County Collaborative Law must meet specific basic and advanced training requirements.

Roles of Other Professionals Who are Members of KCCL

Other professional members of King County Collaborative Law have received training in the Collaborative Law process. Their services may be useful in particular cases to support the work of the Collaborative team. KCCL does not make recommendations as to any professionals.

Mediators. All Collaborative professionals who are members of King County Collaborative Law have completed mediation training.  Many Collaborative professionals also provide mediation services.

Financial Planners. Financial planners might assist a Collaborative client with individual money management advice, planning and skills.

Mortgage Brokers. A mortgage broker sells mortgage financing. Mortgage brokers who are members of KCCL focus part of their business on the unique situations and financing options for spouses going through divorce.

Therapists. Therapy/counseling can be helpful for parties and children going through difficult periods of life, including divorce and separation. Unlike the narrow scope of the coach or child specialist, therapists can deal with a wide a range of issues.